| Year | Tournament | Location | Team | Notes: |
| 2013 | Huck Finn XVII (Sunday Only) | St. Louis, MO | NUT (assistant) | Rain/Mudfest. Drove solo due to Saturday Wildfire conflict. |
| Chicago Invite | Chicago, IL | NUT (assistant) | Cold and Windy. Luke served ramen at the fields. | |
| USAU Illinois D-1 College Open CC | Chicago, IL | NUT (assistant) | Champe sat on a Bucket. | |
| USAU Great Lakes D-1 College Open Regionals | Rockford, IL | NUT (assistant) | I remember we somehow almost got into a fistfight with indiana in the 5th place game and I had to help de-escalate. | |
| -- | ||||
| 2014 | Cat Fight | Lexington, KY | Bolt | First tourney as head coach. Forgot to drink water/eat/use the bathroom for 10 hours. Calling lines was hard. It was a blast! |
| The Rock | Rockford, IL | Bolt | Snowed out. Gotta travel out of the midwest in feb-april for more reliable weather. | |
| Last Call | Charleston, IL | Bolt | Super fun. Watched yolo swaggins university win it all ft. young Ben Spielman after our games. | |
| Eastern Great Lakes Dev College Men's CC | Kalamazoo, MI | Bolt | Strong tournament | |
| Great Lakes Dev Gollege Men's Regionals | Rockford, IL | Bolt | 1-day round robin | |
| -- | ||||
| 2015 | Cat Fight (rejected) | Lexington, KY | Bolt | We did not learn that we were rejected until super late. Not enough time to find a different tourney. |
| Invite Plan B | Manteno, IL | Bolt | Chi invite got snowed out and this got scheduled. We ran with 10 guys. Everyone cramped. We played BYU and scored 1 goal. | |
| Eastern Great Lakes Dev College Men's CC | Kalamazoo, MI | Bolt | I didn't feel like we played enough games this year, which is why I pushed for warm up in 16. | |
| Great Lakes Dev College Men's Regionals | Rockford, IL | Bolt | 1-day round robin for more games | |
| -- | ||||
| 2016 | Warm Up: A Florida Affair (Dev) | Tampa, FL | Bolt | Slept in an unfurnished house. Got bageled by Hafeez. |
| Midwest Throwdown | Columbia, MO | Bolt | This tournament was very generic. | |
| Old Capitol Open | Iowa City, IA | Bolt | 40 mph sustained wind. Saw a port-a-pottie get blown over. Games cancelled due to wind. Team watched "Zootopia". | |
| Great Lakes Dev College Men's CC | Kalamazoo, MI | Bolt | Difficult tourney, lots of great play by inter-region dev teams | |
| -- | ||||
| Windy City Invite | Rockford, IL | NUT X | ||
| Missouri Loves Company | Columbia, MO | NUT | ||
| 2017 | Warm Up: A Florida Affair | Tampa, FL | NUT | |
| Midwest Throwdown | Columbia, MO | NUT | ||
| Indy Invite College | Indianapolis, IN | NUT | ||
| Huck Finn | St. Louis, MO | NUT | ||
| Illinois D-1 College Men's CC | Rantoul, IL | NUT | ||
| Great Lakes D-1 College Men's Regionals | Fair Oaks, IN | NUT | ||
| -- | ||||
| Missouri Loves Company | Columbia, MO | NUT | ||
| 2018 | Queen City Tune Up | Charlotte, NC | NUT | |
| Warm Up: A Florida Affair | Tampa, FL | NUT | ||
| Centex | Austin, TX | NUT | ||
| Huck Finn | St. Louis, MO | NUT | ||
| Illinois D-1 College Men's CC | Rantoul, IL | NUT | ||
| Great Lakes D-1 College Men's Regionals | Ann Arbor, MI | NUT | ||
| D-1 College Championships | Milwaukee, WI | NUT | ||
| Youth Club Championships | Blaine, MN | IYU U20 (Assistant) |
Thursday, August 16, 2018
Tuesday, May 29, 2018
2018 College Championships
Thoughts from Milwaukee:
- First of all, to all my returning NUTs out there: Nationals is a gift, not a right. Commit to the fundamentals (play, throw, lift, sprint), there will be fresh games to 1 to be won soon.
- Secondly, this post from CSU's coach on nationals from 2017 is accurate:
http://katfishultimate.blogspot.com/2017/05/five-things-i-learned-at-college.html
- There are nationals-level plays happening all over the country at conferences and regionals. The two key differences is nationals-level teams have a higher overall bar of athleticism and skill. The questions are the same at the highest level: Can your players defend 1v1? Can your players get open 1v1? can your players throw & catch? Schemes don't matter if you can't hang individually.
- We had a sideline full of friends and family. It was incredible to be able to have everyone come out and watch us play some games. Can't overstate how important the community aspect is to the program. Milwaukee being 90 minutes from Evanston was ideal.
- The environment at nationals is as-advertised. Hard to find things to say about it that haven't already been said. It's incredibly fun and a privilege to compete there.
- The games are just games. Our team mentality was the same as ever, and we approached the games in the same way. 0-0, nut v nut, performance over results, tournament skills. Never expect to win or lose, but always expect to play your best.
- It was hot! We had cramping issues on both days in our last games. Tough to balance getting people ready for games with suitably intense warm ups but avoiding late-day physical issues in the mid-day heat.
- The idea "You have to have been there before" is total bullshit. Everyone has the power to work hard and play well, there's no secret sauce.
- This was the hardest working NUT team I have ever played with or coached, and it showed in the on-field product. Even if we had not finished where we did, we were able to raise the bar for our own level of play to new heights. That is - we were executing the basics at a higher level than ever, which is what it's all about.
- I talked to Denardis for a bit after UNC won the finals. Super nice guy, very fun to chat with. We talked about how UNC develops players through the season, how they set goals, and how they are able to divide and share leadership. Lots of interesting thoughts.
- Being mentally steady and consistent is such a huge strength for a team to have. At nationals, it is obvious that some teams feel the weight of the moment way more than others. I am proud of NUT 2018s ability to be consistently present and focused on the task at hand. This was one of our greatest strengths, and not something to take lightly.
- First of all, to all my returning NUTs out there: Nationals is a gift, not a right. Commit to the fundamentals (play, throw, lift, sprint), there will be fresh games to 1 to be won soon.
- Secondly, this post from CSU's coach on nationals from 2017 is accurate:
http://katfishultimate.blogspot.com/2017/05/five-things-i-learned-at-college.html
- There are nationals-level plays happening all over the country at conferences and regionals. The two key differences is nationals-level teams have a higher overall bar of athleticism and skill. The questions are the same at the highest level: Can your players defend 1v1? Can your players get open 1v1? can your players throw & catch? Schemes don't matter if you can't hang individually.
- We had a sideline full of friends and family. It was incredible to be able to have everyone come out and watch us play some games. Can't overstate how important the community aspect is to the program. Milwaukee being 90 minutes from Evanston was ideal.
- The environment at nationals is as-advertised. Hard to find things to say about it that haven't already been said. It's incredibly fun and a privilege to compete there.
- The games are just games. Our team mentality was the same as ever, and we approached the games in the same way. 0-0, nut v nut, performance over results, tournament skills. Never expect to win or lose, but always expect to play your best.
- It was hot! We had cramping issues on both days in our last games. Tough to balance getting people ready for games with suitably intense warm ups but avoiding late-day physical issues in the mid-day heat.
- The idea "You have to have been there before" is total bullshit. Everyone has the power to work hard and play well, there's no secret sauce.
- This was the hardest working NUT team I have ever played with or coached, and it showed in the on-field product. Even if we had not finished where we did, we were able to raise the bar for our own level of play to new heights. That is - we were executing the basics at a higher level than ever, which is what it's all about.
- I talked to Denardis for a bit after UNC won the finals. Super nice guy, very fun to chat with. We talked about how UNC develops players through the season, how they set goals, and how they are able to divide and share leadership. Lots of interesting thoughts.
- Being mentally steady and consistent is such a huge strength for a team to have. At nationals, it is obvious that some teams feel the weight of the moment way more than others. I am proud of NUT 2018s ability to be consistently present and focused on the task at hand. This was one of our greatest strengths, and not something to take lightly.
Monday, April 30, 2018
Uncharted Territory
Preface:
My friend Matt wrote this post in 2015, check it out: http://illiniulti.blogspot.com/2015/04/24.html
I promised him I'd do a similar write-up.
A few pre-regionals notes on the state of the team that I want to mention before I get into it.
- At sectionals two weeks prior I felt like we were carrying a lot of outcome-oriented expectation centered around winning the section again. This in combination with some strong play from Chicago and ISU gave us a healthy dose of humility - those teams played great and we didn't execute well.
- We had two good weeks of practice leading up to regionals. The majority of our roster was healthy and going hard, we were a great balance of focused and loose.
- In our last practice before regionals, I wanted to remind the team what makes us good and I wanted to give us a touchstone to fall back on in times of doubt. I talked about trusting (your teammates and yourself), about expectations (we never expect to win or to lose, we expect to play well), and I talked about how I felt that the identity of our team this year was as a mentally consistent, hard working, "blue collar" team. I did not say this, but I felt that we were among the best/fastest teams in the region at person defense when we fully committed to the effort it takes.
- Going into regionals I felt like the pressure to perform was almost completely gone. Having gotten 4th at sectionals very significantly changed our mindset for the better, removing a lot of the weight of expectation and helping us recommit to our values.
- The format change heavily favored the 1 and 2 overall seeds by providing a relatively easier path to the semifinals by seed.
- I felt like our chances going into the weekend were 15-20%, mostly depending on how we showed up. I thought we had a great shot if we brought our A-game.
-----
24 (plus 1)
All times are approximate, based on my memory and the tweets we have.
3:00 pm, Saturday, April 28th
The team has wrapped up a 2-0 day with a strong performance versus a quality MSU team and an underrated GVSU squad. Me, Champe, and Yiding drive over to the other field site to see if we can catch the end of the neck-and-neck Gungho/Flywheel pool play game. We get to the field site right when the game ends, feel dumb and head back to the original site to scout Purdue/Kentucky a bit.
3:45
Notre Dame is camped out watching the next field over (MSU/Indiana), so I wander over and say hi to all the Stump (South Shore Line) guys, get the low-down on Purdue, and wish them good luck for Sunday. Beetle and I talk about how awesome a stump finals would be, and we both apologize to each other in advance for taking the bid from the other. Feels good.
4:30
Keith messages the group about going to the thrift store to pick up blue collar shirts to wear during Sunday morning warm ups. I am loving this idea, I ask him to get me one too.
4:40
Purdue/Kentucky is at DGP, Purdue has to go upwind on offense to win. Kentucky gets a layout D on an incut, works it to the goal line, calls TO. Subsequently drops the wide open game winner. Purdue works it down to the opposite goal line, calls their own TO. Long upline from the reset, ballgame. Looks like we get Purdue tomorrow morning.
4:50
We talk for a bit about the matchups we want to use and the approach we want vs Purdue. We're feeling good about the way our defense has been playing so far, and we feel like we can put a lot of pressure on them in the reset space.
5:00
The weather has turned pretty nice, so we stick around at the field site to throw some hucks and win the fields. Yiding throws some jump balls to me and Champe we get some quality trash talking in. Feels good.
5:40
Josh's family is hosting a bbq for the whole team for dinner! Huge! We head over. Note: In a lot of ways, this tournament felt like a home tournament for us. Both Josh's and Champe's families live about 30 minutes from the field site. This made the whole experience have a much friendlier and comfortable feel.
6:15
At the bbq there is a lively discussion about the validity of "quack quack seat back" versus "fives" for staking your claim on a chair. As a Minnesotan, I'm a strong quack quack advocate. Spirits are high and we're having a good time.
6:35
Champe and Yiding are determined to crush Eric in ping pong, so I chat for a while with Kyle, Bif, Nate, and Jeff about who we think the best player in college is right now and who should win the callahan. We also talk about how good you have to be for you to win with a terrible video (Nethercutt), and how much of a travesty it was that neither Jack Williams nor Ben Sadok won last year.
8:15
We head back to Champe's dad's house (which his grandpa built!) and settle in to watch the Bucks/Celtics game 7.
8:45
Andy comes over and we get into some lively conversation about who should be 1st team all-region in the GL, the objective best way to beat (Michigan's) clam, and how soccer zone/person defense is taught. I tell Andy I think Kyle is the best player in the region, he doesn't buy it. I tell him "you'll see".
9:30
The Celtics are just obliterating the Bucks. I consider staying up to watch the Warriors/Pelicans for about 5 seconds, then decide against it and head to bed.
3:20 AM, Sunday, April 29th
I wake up, check the time on my phone. T-minus 6 hours. I try not to get too worked up about how exactly I want to prepare my team against the clam if we make semis. I manage to chill out enough to get back to sleep, thankfully.
7:30
I wake up to some really soft TV noises coming from Yiding in the next bed over. Turns out he is watching a replay of a disc golf tournament on his phone (??) with the volume on the lowest setting. Unclear how long he has been watching, though likely between 0.5 and 8 hours.
7:45
I'm feeling good today. I say good morning to Champe, we eat a couple pieces of cantaloupe, and we rock n roll to the site. The drive is mostly quiet, each of us with our own thoughts. We talk briefly about how we'll approach the clam if we see Michigan in semis. Before the weekend I had a conversation with Andy about finding the right balance of "worry" and "trust" as a coach. This conversation had a huge impact on my approach to the weekend, mostly by reminding me (as the coach) to remember to trust our work and our players more. I think it is natural for coaches to worry, but sometimes I can slip too far to the worry side. This weekend I was resolved to be a source of stability and trust for the team.
8:45
It's sunny with mild wind. Gungho is crushing Purdue next to us. Keith hands me my "blue collar" shirt. Our energy is strong; high focus and good spirits.
10:30
Our offense is carving up Purdue and our defensive pressure is causing real problems for them in the backfield. Rozo is closing down their main handler and we've been able to create a bunch of blocks and punts as a result.
10:55
We head into half up 8-3. I talk with Yiding for a few minutes about adjustments, but we feel like the plan is working well and we'll just stick to it.
11:40
D2 has just rattled off 5 breaks in a row on Purdue and we close them out on an efficient O point. On the next field over, Chicago is taking it to Michigan, and they close it out 14-10. Turns out I won't need to use my clam schpiel after all!
11:50
I'm trying not to pay too much attention to what's going on in the other quarters because I want to keep my mind focused on the game in front of us. Despite this I catch that ISU won on DGP over Illinois and ND won on DGP over Indiana. Phew. I congratulate Zubair on the win and we flip. We're on D going upwind to start. I'm glad we're playing UChicago - we have a great relationship between teams and the game are always very competitive and spirited. I am also slightly relieved to not have to play Michigan, though this Chicago team is excellent and had smashed us pretty good at conferences a few weeks back.
12:20
We go up 3-1. We did not change our strategy much between this game and conferences - we made some tweaks to our matchups and we had Kyle cross over and take Wets. Kyle did an incredible job, anchoring the offense while also shutting down Chicago's best cutter for about half of the D points.
12:55
At 7-5 we load up a Dline going upwind and break for half on an inside break from Kenneth. The oline is untouchable right now - turning in flawless holds against whatever look Chicago is bringing. I know they're going to come out of half firing and their top guys have the legs to play a lot of points in a row, so I'm trying to sub so that we can put them away.
1:30
At 13-7 we send out D2 and Chicago drops a swing pass giving a short field. We fast break and score immediately, then D2 closes out the game downwind next point. Finals! I am not particularly excited at this point, I am very much in the mindset of one game/point at a time. It was not until much later that I felt the magnitude of what we were doing.
1:50
The Stump (South Shore Line) regional final is a reality! I'm very excited about this outcome. I head over and talk to Beetle, Klenke, and Hoff to congratulate them and wish them a good game. I tell them that I will be happy regardless of who wins, and I mean it. I quickly add, "but we'll give you our best" in a totally unneeded clarification. We're on O going downwind. It's a very mild wind, conditions are good. Sunny and not too hot.
1:55
I talk with Yiding and Champe about our defensive approach and the matchups we want. We feel like Kyle has the legs to play a lot given how our bracket games went, and we feel like we'll need him to help contain Beetle.
2:10
We come out firing, Kyle Ds up Beetle and we go up 3-0 right away. I'm feeling okay about that, but I know that ND has a lot of great athletes capable of making big D plays and a couple really strong throwers who have the legs to play every point. I'm wary of the push I expect them to make.
2:25
Hoff gives me a high five on the sideline. What an awesome guy.
2:40
The oline is playing lights out. Turning in efficient hold after hold against a variety of ND defensive looks. We turned it twice in the first half but converted quickly on the back of Josh's defense after the turn. ND is sagging off Keith and he is getting consistently free in the endzone. We go into half up 8-5.
2:45
I talk with Yiding and Champe about adjustments. In general we've done a great job containing their deep game, but there are a few really great players we hadn't known about going in that we want better matchups for. I know Kyle is getting a bit tired, but we also know he'll have halftime to rest and that we'll need him down the stretch.
2:50
Going into the second half I know that Beetle is going to play almost every point, that the ND sideline energy will be intense, and that it is unlikely that our offense will continue to play flawlessly. This was my worry mode showing a bit. I do some mental game planning for how I want to approach the likely ND push/our oline getting broken. My general plan is to show my trust for them and to commit to not over-coaching.
3:10
We break out of half to go up 9-5. Then the ND push comes, bringing the game to even at 10s. As I expected, the errors we are making are execution errors, the offensive decisions we are making have been generally good. My play calls for the offense don't change much, and I do my best to show with my voice and actions that I trust them to execute well.
3:35
We hold and break to 13-11, they hold and break to tie at 13s. On the next O point, Kyle reels in a incut past a bidding Beetle, who receives a blue card. Kyle puts up an away shot to Keith, Keith has his guy on his back, goes up a bit too early, tips it, then follows and gets a clap catch layout for the goal! After that hold, I figure we'll get two chances to win, this point and DGP next point, and I send out our universe dline to try and break to win.
3:40
Matt makes a massive bid on a Beetle upline but comes up just empty. The D pressure is great and Beetle has to look off some options downfield, and the swing pass back to the center is bobbled and dropped. We go slow and set up an iso to Jeff about 30 yards out. Matt goes to pick up, looks at Kyle, Kyle says "you got it". Jeff strikes deep and gets past the backside help, Matt puts up a trust away flick. Ballgame. I'm standing about 10 yards away.
I don't exactly remember what happened next, but I remember rushing the field, shouting, and hugging everyone. I remember that I lost my pen somewhere, probably threw it. Someone told me I threw my hat in the air. I remember taking a ton of pictures, shaking a ton of hands. I remember saying good game to Notre Dame. I remember talking in the huddle about history and struggle and milwaukee and how our youth stepped up this year (our oline has 1 senior). I remember taking a picture with the players I had coached on Bolt. I remember telling Andy "I told you so", talking about Kyle. I remember hugging Carol. I remember talking to Pat and Bens and them coming over to congratulate us.
The evening was filled with excited discussions about nationals, with congratulatory emails and texts, and with a palpable feeling of excitement. Our van ride home was filled with talk about our seed, Max's experiences with nationals, and our next 4 weeks of practice. We're going to nationals!
My friend Matt wrote this post in 2015, check it out: http://illiniulti.blogspot.com/2015/04/24.html
I promised him I'd do a similar write-up.
A few pre-regionals notes on the state of the team that I want to mention before I get into it.
- At sectionals two weeks prior I felt like we were carrying a lot of outcome-oriented expectation centered around winning the section again. This in combination with some strong play from Chicago and ISU gave us a healthy dose of humility - those teams played great and we didn't execute well.
- We had two good weeks of practice leading up to regionals. The majority of our roster was healthy and going hard, we were a great balance of focused and loose.
- In our last practice before regionals, I wanted to remind the team what makes us good and I wanted to give us a touchstone to fall back on in times of doubt. I talked about trusting (your teammates and yourself), about expectations (we never expect to win or to lose, we expect to play well), and I talked about how I felt that the identity of our team this year was as a mentally consistent, hard working, "blue collar" team. I did not say this, but I felt that we were among the best/fastest teams in the region at person defense when we fully committed to the effort it takes.
- Going into regionals I felt like the pressure to perform was almost completely gone. Having gotten 4th at sectionals very significantly changed our mindset for the better, removing a lot of the weight of expectation and helping us recommit to our values.
- The format change heavily favored the 1 and 2 overall seeds by providing a relatively easier path to the semifinals by seed.
- I felt like our chances going into the weekend were 15-20%, mostly depending on how we showed up. I thought we had a great shot if we brought our A-game.
-----
24 (plus 1)
All times are approximate, based on my memory and the tweets we have.
3:00 pm, Saturday, April 28th
The team has wrapped up a 2-0 day with a strong performance versus a quality MSU team and an underrated GVSU squad. Me, Champe, and Yiding drive over to the other field site to see if we can catch the end of the neck-and-neck Gungho/Flywheel pool play game. We get to the field site right when the game ends, feel dumb and head back to the original site to scout Purdue/Kentucky a bit.
3:45
Notre Dame is camped out watching the next field over (MSU/Indiana), so I wander over and say hi to all the Stump (South Shore Line) guys, get the low-down on Purdue, and wish them good luck for Sunday. Beetle and I talk about how awesome a stump finals would be, and we both apologize to each other in advance for taking the bid from the other. Feels good.
4:30
Keith messages the group about going to the thrift store to pick up blue collar shirts to wear during Sunday morning warm ups. I am loving this idea, I ask him to get me one too.
4:40
Purdue/Kentucky is at DGP, Purdue has to go upwind on offense to win. Kentucky gets a layout D on an incut, works it to the goal line, calls TO. Subsequently drops the wide open game winner. Purdue works it down to the opposite goal line, calls their own TO. Long upline from the reset, ballgame. Looks like we get Purdue tomorrow morning.
4:50
We talk for a bit about the matchups we want to use and the approach we want vs Purdue. We're feeling good about the way our defense has been playing so far, and we feel like we can put a lot of pressure on them in the reset space.
5:00
The weather has turned pretty nice, so we stick around at the field site to throw some hucks and win the fields. Yiding throws some jump balls to me and Champe we get some quality trash talking in. Feels good.
5:40
Josh's family is hosting a bbq for the whole team for dinner! Huge! We head over. Note: In a lot of ways, this tournament felt like a home tournament for us. Both Josh's and Champe's families live about 30 minutes from the field site. This made the whole experience have a much friendlier and comfortable feel.
6:15
At the bbq there is a lively discussion about the validity of "quack quack seat back" versus "fives" for staking your claim on a chair. As a Minnesotan, I'm a strong quack quack advocate. Spirits are high and we're having a good time.
6:35
Champe and Yiding are determined to crush Eric in ping pong, so I chat for a while with Kyle, Bif, Nate, and Jeff about who we think the best player in college is right now and who should win the callahan. We also talk about how good you have to be for you to win with a terrible video (Nethercutt), and how much of a travesty it was that neither Jack Williams nor Ben Sadok won last year.
8:15
We head back to Champe's dad's house (which his grandpa built!) and settle in to watch the Bucks/Celtics game 7.
8:45
Andy comes over and we get into some lively conversation about who should be 1st team all-region in the GL, the objective best way to beat (Michigan's) clam, and how soccer zone/person defense is taught. I tell Andy I think Kyle is the best player in the region, he doesn't buy it. I tell him "you'll see".
9:30
The Celtics are just obliterating the Bucks. I consider staying up to watch the Warriors/Pelicans for about 5 seconds, then decide against it and head to bed.
3:20 AM, Sunday, April 29th
I wake up, check the time on my phone. T-minus 6 hours. I try not to get too worked up about how exactly I want to prepare my team against the clam if we make semis. I manage to chill out enough to get back to sleep, thankfully.
7:30
I wake up to some really soft TV noises coming from Yiding in the next bed over. Turns out he is watching a replay of a disc golf tournament on his phone (??) with the volume on the lowest setting. Unclear how long he has been watching, though likely between 0.5 and 8 hours.
7:45
I'm feeling good today. I say good morning to Champe, we eat a couple pieces of cantaloupe, and we rock n roll to the site. The drive is mostly quiet, each of us with our own thoughts. We talk briefly about how we'll approach the clam if we see Michigan in semis. Before the weekend I had a conversation with Andy about finding the right balance of "worry" and "trust" as a coach. This conversation had a huge impact on my approach to the weekend, mostly by reminding me (as the coach) to remember to trust our work and our players more. I think it is natural for coaches to worry, but sometimes I can slip too far to the worry side. This weekend I was resolved to be a source of stability and trust for the team.
8:45
It's sunny with mild wind. Gungho is crushing Purdue next to us. Keith hands me my "blue collar" shirt. Our energy is strong; high focus and good spirits.
10:30
Our offense is carving up Purdue and our defensive pressure is causing real problems for them in the backfield. Rozo is closing down their main handler and we've been able to create a bunch of blocks and punts as a result.
10:55
We head into half up 8-3. I talk with Yiding for a few minutes about adjustments, but we feel like the plan is working well and we'll just stick to it.
11:40
D2 has just rattled off 5 breaks in a row on Purdue and we close them out on an efficient O point. On the next field over, Chicago is taking it to Michigan, and they close it out 14-10. Turns out I won't need to use my clam schpiel after all!
11:50
I'm trying not to pay too much attention to what's going on in the other quarters because I want to keep my mind focused on the game in front of us. Despite this I catch that ISU won on DGP over Illinois and ND won on DGP over Indiana. Phew. I congratulate Zubair on the win and we flip. We're on D going upwind to start. I'm glad we're playing UChicago - we have a great relationship between teams and the game are always very competitive and spirited. I am also slightly relieved to not have to play Michigan, though this Chicago team is excellent and had smashed us pretty good at conferences a few weeks back.
12:20
We go up 3-1. We did not change our strategy much between this game and conferences - we made some tweaks to our matchups and we had Kyle cross over and take Wets. Kyle did an incredible job, anchoring the offense while also shutting down Chicago's best cutter for about half of the D points.
12:55
At 7-5 we load up a Dline going upwind and break for half on an inside break from Kenneth. The oline is untouchable right now - turning in flawless holds against whatever look Chicago is bringing. I know they're going to come out of half firing and their top guys have the legs to play a lot of points in a row, so I'm trying to sub so that we can put them away.
1:30
At 13-7 we send out D2 and Chicago drops a swing pass giving a short field. We fast break and score immediately, then D2 closes out the game downwind next point. Finals! I am not particularly excited at this point, I am very much in the mindset of one game/point at a time. It was not until much later that I felt the magnitude of what we were doing.
1:50
The Stump (South Shore Line) regional final is a reality! I'm very excited about this outcome. I head over and talk to Beetle, Klenke, and Hoff to congratulate them and wish them a good game. I tell them that I will be happy regardless of who wins, and I mean it. I quickly add, "but we'll give you our best" in a totally unneeded clarification. We're on O going downwind. It's a very mild wind, conditions are good. Sunny and not too hot.
1:55
I talk with Yiding and Champe about our defensive approach and the matchups we want. We feel like Kyle has the legs to play a lot given how our bracket games went, and we feel like we'll need him to help contain Beetle.
2:10
We come out firing, Kyle Ds up Beetle and we go up 3-0 right away. I'm feeling okay about that, but I know that ND has a lot of great athletes capable of making big D plays and a couple really strong throwers who have the legs to play every point. I'm wary of the push I expect them to make.
2:25
Hoff gives me a high five on the sideline. What an awesome guy.
2:40
The oline is playing lights out. Turning in efficient hold after hold against a variety of ND defensive looks. We turned it twice in the first half but converted quickly on the back of Josh's defense after the turn. ND is sagging off Keith and he is getting consistently free in the endzone. We go into half up 8-5.
2:45
I talk with Yiding and Champe about adjustments. In general we've done a great job containing their deep game, but there are a few really great players we hadn't known about going in that we want better matchups for. I know Kyle is getting a bit tired, but we also know he'll have halftime to rest and that we'll need him down the stretch.
2:50
Going into the second half I know that Beetle is going to play almost every point, that the ND sideline energy will be intense, and that it is unlikely that our offense will continue to play flawlessly. This was my worry mode showing a bit. I do some mental game planning for how I want to approach the likely ND push/our oline getting broken. My general plan is to show my trust for them and to commit to not over-coaching.
3:10
We break out of half to go up 9-5. Then the ND push comes, bringing the game to even at 10s. As I expected, the errors we are making are execution errors, the offensive decisions we are making have been generally good. My play calls for the offense don't change much, and I do my best to show with my voice and actions that I trust them to execute well.
3:35
We hold and break to 13-11, they hold and break to tie at 13s. On the next O point, Kyle reels in a incut past a bidding Beetle, who receives a blue card. Kyle puts up an away shot to Keith, Keith has his guy on his back, goes up a bit too early, tips it, then follows and gets a clap catch layout for the goal! After that hold, I figure we'll get two chances to win, this point and DGP next point, and I send out our universe dline to try and break to win.
3:40
Matt makes a massive bid on a Beetle upline but comes up just empty. The D pressure is great and Beetle has to look off some options downfield, and the swing pass back to the center is bobbled and dropped. We go slow and set up an iso to Jeff about 30 yards out. Matt goes to pick up, looks at Kyle, Kyle says "you got it". Jeff strikes deep and gets past the backside help, Matt puts up a trust away flick. Ballgame. I'm standing about 10 yards away.
I don't exactly remember what happened next, but I remember rushing the field, shouting, and hugging everyone. I remember that I lost my pen somewhere, probably threw it. Someone told me I threw my hat in the air. I remember taking a ton of pictures, shaking a ton of hands. I remember saying good game to Notre Dame. I remember talking in the huddle about history and struggle and milwaukee and how our youth stepped up this year (our oline has 1 senior). I remember taking a picture with the players I had coached on Bolt. I remember telling Andy "I told you so", talking about Kyle. I remember hugging Carol. I remember talking to Pat and Bens and them coming over to congratulate us.
The evening was filled with excited discussions about nationals, with congratulatory emails and texts, and with a palpable feeling of excitement. Our van ride home was filled with talk about our seed, Max's experiences with nationals, and our next 4 weeks of practice. We're going to nationals!
Thursday, December 14, 2017
Raising The Bar
Champe and Sahaj were wondering my thoughts on this post: http://champeman.blogspot.com/2017/11/demanding-best.html
The short answer is I mostly agree with what Champe is saying, though I don't feel any particular level of despair. The longer answer is below.
----
Raising The Bar
(This is intentionally a lifting reference)
First of all, I have a ton of thoughts about this topic both generally and specifically in reference to NUT. I think Champe is asking the right kinds of questions here. My thinking on goals setting and team/individual expectations has changed a lot in the past 8 months, some of my current thoughts are going to be different than when I first started coaching.
I'm going to reduce his post to a few questions/ideas and cherry pick lines that I like. Champe talks about:
1. Without an external mentor providing setting a high bar, complacency and comfort with current ability level is pretty typical. Even Champe, someone who is extremely internally motivated, sometimes needed that bar to be set for him externally (his step-dad, Bruns).
2. So how, as a coach or leader, do you get your players to demand the best of themselves?
3. Demand for one's best has to come from someone they believe is in the arena with them.
4. Why is demanding the best something to strive for?
5. "...to reach the next level of competition...we have to get better at playing frisbee"
6. On acceptance of failure, the standard of not losing, and creating an environment in which players are used to/comfortable with losing games.
1. Without an external mentor providing setting a high bar, complacency and comfort with current ability level is pretty typical. Even Champe, someone who is extremely internally motivated, sometimes needed that bar to be set for him externally (his step-dad, Bruns).
I think this is an extremely important idea. I think it is the responsibility of the coaches to set this bar for the players at the individual level. It's critical to understand both what motivates the player externally, and how to elicit internal motivation. An aspect of setting the bar is that feedback needs to be honest, correct, and with an actionable plan for improvement (basic example: Champe you are fat, if you were fit you'd be good - KB). This ties directly into relationship-based coaching aka "being in the arena with them" (because you are!). So the coaches should understand what the team needs, and set an accordingly high bar for individuals with a constant eye for building motivation.
Thought #2, from "Training Soccer Champions" by Anson Dorrance: It is the coaches responsibility to hold the team accountable for their level of play. The biggest challenge of coaching has to do with the mental responsibility of maintaining this high standard, of having uncomfortable or awkward conversations when they are needed and making sure the team gets as much out of practice time as possible. A lesser coach may miss or forgo this encounter due to the awkwardness involved, and the team will be worse for it.
2. So how, as a coach or leader, do you get your players to demand the best of themselves?
Another important question. Probably one of the quintessential questions for any leader of any team. At the most basic level, players need to understand what "their best" is, and they need to want to achieve it. Coaches should help players with understanding what their best looks like through individual feedback and support. Coaches can also work to elicit the individuals desire to perform to that level. I think this 2nd piece is about the fundamentals of motivation and stages of change.
Motivation:
"Human beings are motivated by purpose, autonomy, and a drive towards mastery."
Stages of Change:
1. A case for change (I/we are not great & losing, I/we want to be great & win)
2. A compelling picture of the future (I/we could play great ultimate)
3. A sustained capability to change (I/we can develop our skills)
4. A credible plan to execute (I/we can use my/our skills and win)
(Legacy, James Kerr.)
The message is:
- [x] is our team's purpose
- here is where we/you are today
- here is where we/you could be
- here is how we/you get there
- here is why we/you want that
Each of these steps must be completely honest. Providing incorrect or dishonest feedback helps no one.
I think the culture of improvement and growth is incredibly important for creating a healthy basis for this motivation to grow.
3. Demand for one's best has to come from someone they believe is in the arena with them.
Coaches who do not have good relationships with players are going to struggle massively with communication and the development process. Players are humans and must be treated as such. It's really important to have strong trust between players and coaches so that the critical constructive feedback cycle works properly. Love this point.
4. Why is demanding the best something to strive for?
The obvious answer is because it is necessary to be a great team. The 2nd layer answer is because this is a skill that has massive carryover to all other aspects of life. Investing your whole self into something and really pouring yourself into it is a recipe for a rewarding and successful life. If you are capable of doing something well, you should do so, all the time.
5. "...to reach the next level of competition...we have to get better at playing frisbee"
I am all about this idea. I think this is completely true. It is so obvious, but is seemingly glossed over all too often. Specifically with reference to NUT, if we want to go further in the post-season, we simply need to get better. Not just a little better, a lot better. We should not try to "steal a bid" or "get a crazy upset", we should level up our own game and be a legitimate contender for the kind of outcome we want. If we want to be a great program that goes to nationals regularly, the level we are attempting to reach is a level where we are consistently earning a bid for nationals through our regular season competition. The nation is filled with talented, hard-working teams, and ascending to this level is not an inevitability. It is a matter of developing truly great individual players and truly great teams. If we want to champions, we need to train like champions and believe like champions.
6. On acceptance of failure, the standard of not losing, and creating an environment in which players are used to/comfortable with losing games.
A number of thoughts here. Firstly, simple acceptance of failure should be unacceptable. Failure is inherent to attempting something challenging, but it must not simply be accepted, it should be addressed directly and worked on.
When it comes to playing well and being great, losing an individual game is external. If NUT wanted, we could go to 3 low-tier tournaments during the regular season and go undefeated, a perfect 21-0 record heading into the post-season. We could potentially end the season with a record something like 31-1, falling at regionals to team x. This is not the way to develop and grow the program, this is a surefire path to complacency.
By going to more difficult tournaments with better opponents, we are challenging ourselves to play better against better opponents. Great opponents are the best true feedback loop for us as individuals and as a team. We'll gain a real understanding of how to get open, how to defend, how to place throws, etc. Our standard of play will be elevated above what it would be if we didn't push our level.
We must play every game with the intent and a deep desire to win. Regardless of opponent, no game is out of reach, especially not at the college level where turnovers are plentiful and competition varies a lot game-by-game. Our desire should extend down to the micro level, where we are battling to win each moment of each point of each game. If we play incredibly well and lose, this is of far more value to us than us sleepwalking through a game and winning, in my mind.
I think one of the most powerful ideas that Chuck brought to NUT was a nuanced approach to process vs outcome and commitment to team-ness. He wrote a note a couple years back that really resonated with me:
"We were under a lot of pressure [last year], and it was visible. We were upset instead of joyous to play. And our team had expectations of performance which made it seem like a goal was just something that was supposed to happen instead of something worthy of celebration. We were fragmented. We were individuals.
I want us to:
- Be invested in the man, not the player.
- Be committed to the process, not the outcome. (i.e. "it's unacceptable to get beat or lose" is the wrong message).
- Recommit to Humility
Last year there were some damaging beliefs that crept into our minds:
1. We believe we "should" win some games.
2. We believe that our best player needed to play great for us to win big games.
3. We believe that only nationals or winning (or no turnovers or getting a block) is acceptable.
These ideas exist on many teams, even high-caliber teams. All of those ideas contradict humility. Let me explain for each:
1. We don't deserve any wins, and we're not focused on wins. We have the opportunity to earn it every time we step on the field. That's it. We come to each game humble, and we respect our opponents and always believe in our teammates, especially when our brothers make mistakes.
2. No individual is greater than the team. No one needs to single-handedly lift the team to victory.
3. It is none of our business what the results of our efforts are. We are committed to each other, and we are committed to the process. We get better every time we are together, we give honest and clear feedback, and we stay committed to each other. Captains/coaches need to keep the tone positive no matter what because being negative IS ARROGANT. We don't know what is supposed to happen, so when we get upset with what is happening, we are essentially saying that we DO know what's supposed to happen and that this isn't it. We don't commit to a result. We commit to each other and the process. That's it."
- Chuck
The short answer is I mostly agree with what Champe is saying, though I don't feel any particular level of despair. The longer answer is below.
----
Raising The Bar
(This is intentionally a lifting reference)
First of all, I have a ton of thoughts about this topic both generally and specifically in reference to NUT. I think Champe is asking the right kinds of questions here. My thinking on goals setting and team/individual expectations has changed a lot in the past 8 months, some of my current thoughts are going to be different than when I first started coaching.
I'm going to reduce his post to a few questions/ideas and cherry pick lines that I like. Champe talks about:
1. Without an external mentor providing setting a high bar, complacency and comfort with current ability level is pretty typical. Even Champe, someone who is extremely internally motivated, sometimes needed that bar to be set for him externally (his step-dad, Bruns).
2. So how, as a coach or leader, do you get your players to demand the best of themselves?
3. Demand for one's best has to come from someone they believe is in the arena with them.
4. Why is demanding the best something to strive for?
5. "...to reach the next level of competition...we have to get better at playing frisbee"
6. On acceptance of failure, the standard of not losing, and creating an environment in which players are used to/comfortable with losing games.
1. Without an external mentor providing setting a high bar, complacency and comfort with current ability level is pretty typical. Even Champe, someone who is extremely internally motivated, sometimes needed that bar to be set for him externally (his step-dad, Bruns).
I think this is an extremely important idea. I think it is the responsibility of the coaches to set this bar for the players at the individual level. It's critical to understand both what motivates the player externally, and how to elicit internal motivation. An aspect of setting the bar is that feedback needs to be honest, correct, and with an actionable plan for improvement (basic example: Champe you are fat, if you were fit you'd be good - KB). This ties directly into relationship-based coaching aka "being in the arena with them" (because you are!). So the coaches should understand what the team needs, and set an accordingly high bar for individuals with a constant eye for building motivation.
Thought #2, from "Training Soccer Champions" by Anson Dorrance: It is the coaches responsibility to hold the team accountable for their level of play. The biggest challenge of coaching has to do with the mental responsibility of maintaining this high standard, of having uncomfortable or awkward conversations when they are needed and making sure the team gets as much out of practice time as possible. A lesser coach may miss or forgo this encounter due to the awkwardness involved, and the team will be worse for it.
2. So how, as a coach or leader, do you get your players to demand the best of themselves?
Another important question. Probably one of the quintessential questions for any leader of any team. At the most basic level, players need to understand what "their best" is, and they need to want to achieve it. Coaches should help players with understanding what their best looks like through individual feedback and support. Coaches can also work to elicit the individuals desire to perform to that level. I think this 2nd piece is about the fundamentals of motivation and stages of change.
Motivation:
"Human beings are motivated by purpose, autonomy, and a drive towards mastery."
Stages of Change:
1. A case for change (I/we are not great & losing, I/we want to be great & win)
2. A compelling picture of the future (I/we could play great ultimate)
3. A sustained capability to change (I/we can develop our skills)
4. A credible plan to execute (I/we can use my/our skills and win)
(Legacy, James Kerr.)
The message is:
- [x] is our team's purpose
- here is where we/you are today
- here is where we/you could be
- here is how we/you get there
- here is why we/you want that
Each of these steps must be completely honest. Providing incorrect or dishonest feedback helps no one.
I think the culture of improvement and growth is incredibly important for creating a healthy basis for this motivation to grow.
3. Demand for one's best has to come from someone they believe is in the arena with them.
Coaches who do not have good relationships with players are going to struggle massively with communication and the development process. Players are humans and must be treated as such. It's really important to have strong trust between players and coaches so that the critical constructive feedback cycle works properly. Love this point.
4. Why is demanding the best something to strive for?
The obvious answer is because it is necessary to be a great team. The 2nd layer answer is because this is a skill that has massive carryover to all other aspects of life. Investing your whole self into something and really pouring yourself into it is a recipe for a rewarding and successful life. If you are capable of doing something well, you should do so, all the time.
5. "...to reach the next level of competition...we have to get better at playing frisbee"
I am all about this idea. I think this is completely true. It is so obvious, but is seemingly glossed over all too often. Specifically with reference to NUT, if we want to go further in the post-season, we simply need to get better. Not just a little better, a lot better. We should not try to "steal a bid" or "get a crazy upset", we should level up our own game and be a legitimate contender for the kind of outcome we want. If we want to be a great program that goes to nationals regularly, the level we are attempting to reach is a level where we are consistently earning a bid for nationals through our regular season competition. The nation is filled with talented, hard-working teams, and ascending to this level is not an inevitability. It is a matter of developing truly great individual players and truly great teams. If we want to champions, we need to train like champions and believe like champions.
6. On acceptance of failure, the standard of not losing, and creating an environment in which players are used to/comfortable with losing games.
A number of thoughts here. Firstly, simple acceptance of failure should be unacceptable. Failure is inherent to attempting something challenging, but it must not simply be accepted, it should be addressed directly and worked on.
When it comes to playing well and being great, losing an individual game is external. If NUT wanted, we could go to 3 low-tier tournaments during the regular season and go undefeated, a perfect 21-0 record heading into the post-season. We could potentially end the season with a record something like 31-1, falling at regionals to team x. This is not the way to develop and grow the program, this is a surefire path to complacency.
By going to more difficult tournaments with better opponents, we are challenging ourselves to play better against better opponents. Great opponents are the best true feedback loop for us as individuals and as a team. We'll gain a real understanding of how to get open, how to defend, how to place throws, etc. Our standard of play will be elevated above what it would be if we didn't push our level.
We must play every game with the intent and a deep desire to win. Regardless of opponent, no game is out of reach, especially not at the college level where turnovers are plentiful and competition varies a lot game-by-game. Our desire should extend down to the micro level, where we are battling to win each moment of each point of each game. If we play incredibly well and lose, this is of far more value to us than us sleepwalking through a game and winning, in my mind.
I think one of the most powerful ideas that Chuck brought to NUT was a nuanced approach to process vs outcome and commitment to team-ness. He wrote a note a couple years back that really resonated with me:
"We were under a lot of pressure [last year], and it was visible. We were upset instead of joyous to play. And our team had expectations of performance which made it seem like a goal was just something that was supposed to happen instead of something worthy of celebration. We were fragmented. We were individuals.
I want us to:
- Be invested in the man, not the player.
- Be committed to the process, not the outcome. (i.e. "it's unacceptable to get beat or lose" is the wrong message).
- Recommit to Humility
Last year there were some damaging beliefs that crept into our minds:
1. We believe we "should" win some games.
2. We believe that our best player needed to play great for us to win big games.
3. We believe that only nationals or winning (or no turnovers or getting a block) is acceptable.
These ideas exist on many teams, even high-caliber teams. All of those ideas contradict humility. Let me explain for each:
1. We don't deserve any wins, and we're not focused on wins. We have the opportunity to earn it every time we step on the field. That's it. We come to each game humble, and we respect our opponents and always believe in our teammates, especially when our brothers make mistakes.
2. No individual is greater than the team. No one needs to single-handedly lift the team to victory.
3. It is none of our business what the results of our efforts are. We are committed to each other, and we are committed to the process. We get better every time we are together, we give honest and clear feedback, and we stay committed to each other. Captains/coaches need to keep the tone positive no matter what because being negative IS ARROGANT. We don't know what is supposed to happen, so when we get upset with what is happening, we are essentially saying that we DO know what's supposed to happen and that this isn't it. We don't commit to a result. We commit to each other and the process. That's it."
- Chuck
Monday, October 23, 2017
2017 Men's Club Closing Thoughts
Before I get into this, I have to point out that the Mixed and Women's finals were really excellent this year and the Men's final was a pretty brutal blowout.
Here is what happened:
Big surprises:
- Sockeye struggling as much as they did. I felt they were pretty overseeded at the 2, but they did much worse than I thought.
- Patrol getting last. And getting bageled by machine?! Crazy.
Less-Big surprises:
- Doublewide showed up ready to play in Sarasota, which makes my initial take on them look pretty good. This is a surprise if you believed the hype and seeding on them.
- High Five and Johnny Bravo not making quarters. I felt like they got caught on a difficult side of the bracket due to some pool play wackiness. But so it goes.
- Dig making quarters. Let's note that Babbitt was at nationals and basically carried them to quarters. Per the ultiworld live tweets, seems likely Dig would have not made it that far without Babbitt carrying them in big moments.
- Florida managing to win games with their style of play.
In conclusion, making picks like this is a tough prospect. There's definitely a lack of information on which to base this stuff, even if you keep your ears to the ground on all of the content being created. Too many unsung great players buried on these rosters to be able to make clear picks. I think it's easier to identify the top few teams, but outside of that there's a ton of noise. There's also a lot of variance from the games themselves, as you'd expect. It's easy to say after the fact "oh, well revolver was a clear champ from day 1", but if you look at it at a micro level, if a few throws were an inch or two to the right or left, we might be talking about Ring of Fire's first title. As Bruns said this weekend, probably better to look at the results as a Bayesian update, more than predetermined outcomes.
Thursday, October 5, 2017
The Coaches Dilemma
Note: Champe is putting together a great series on styles of defense. Check out the first one in his series here:
-----
I have some miscellaneous thoughts about coaching as it relates to individual player development.
To preface this, I think coaching should be specific to the team being coached and the one doing the coaching. Every team has specific needs, and every coach needs to be able to speak their truth to be most effective.
Topic 1: Pushing versus Settling
In "Training Soccer Champions", Anson Dorrance makes the claim that players generally settle. His thought is basically that players don't really know how good they can be, and therefore they generally won't have a reference for their own ceilings. Furthermore, he claims that it's the coaches responsibility to keep the players from settling.
Dorrance postulates that this is the most difficult thing about coaching. For example, an inexperienced coach might let things slide or be unwilling to demand the best from the team because they want to avoid an uncomfortable situation. He thinks that it's the coaches responsibility to carry the burden of these potentially uncomfortable or awkward encounters for the sake of the team. An obvious example of this might be a lack of focus in a practice setting.
I think that pushing people past their perceived limits can have a ton of value, which is how I interpret what Dorrance is saying. I also think it's easy to interpret his perspective as an "assuming the worst" mindset, in which players are inherently lazy and unmotivated. I feel this is generally untrue, it seems to me like players generally want to be the best they can be.
There is a natural tension with this for college ultimate, as no one is playing as a career or even for a scholarship. Absent these external motivations, what drives ultimate players tends to be more internal I think, things like teammates, unity of purpose, shared struggle, community, personal growth, etc. Notably I think these motivations can be incredibly strong. But the fact remains that ultimate usually can't always be the top of the priority list. So the challenge is to understand the level of pushing that is appropriate for the circumstances, both on a team and an individual level.
Topic 2: Influencing Culture
Words + Body Language + Actions = Culture
All of these things matter, and they matter a lot. The interactions of every person on the team plays into the above equation. For each of these components (Words, Body Language, Actions), I think there's a public portion and a private portion. Public would be things done in practices or at tournaments. Private would be conversations, interactions, etc related to the team that are done individually or outside of a team setting. Coaches and captains have a strong influence over all of the public side, maybe 75% of that is up to them. The other 25% of the public component is made up of non-captain leaders and other players. The private stuff is much harder to influence. I think maybe 5% of the private components of the above can be directly addressed through leadership. And the private culture can make or break your team.
Hypothesis: If the private culture is mostly gripes about other teammates or about leadership, this can create rifts in the team and can lead to frustration and premature individual burnout.
Culture matters for individual development because a healthy culture motivates and nurtures players. Effort is rewarded, teammates are able to put in work towards shared goals, visibility is clear, and the team ceiling is raised. Premature burnout leads to disconnection and lack of interest, resulting in a lower team ceiling.
Topic 3: On Motivation
How do you maximize internal motivation?
We can provide external incentives to put in work (i.e. throwing challenges with prizes), but at the end of the day I think the motivation from sources like this is much less powerful than internal motivation. But internal motivation just isn't consistent for a team, ever. I have never encountered a team in which this was the case. (this doesn't mean it doesn't exist, however) Right now my best guess is that providing useful outlets for inter-team competition is the best way to drive constructive motivation on the team level.
I also think showing what is possible may help. This would be like taking the team to spectate club nationals. I think it was awesome we were able to do that last year, but this is likely going to be logistically impossible for the foreseeable future. Not sure how to fix that, as I don't think video has the same effect.
In "Legacy", James Kerr writes "Human beings are motivated by purpose, autonomy, and a drive towards mastery."
I don't have a lot of good ideas about how to implement this better.
Topic 4: Food for Thought
- "Everyone deserves to have a fulfilling ultimate season." - M.N.
- Would you want to win a championship if the entire season leading up to it was terrible?
- What is fulfillment and how do you define it, at a team level?
- I have a feeling that "unconscious goals" exist for individuals. These would be like a phantom goal that is on everyone's mind but no one ever addresses. Are these bad/good? How do we address and influence these? My intuition is that season "success" has a lot more to do with these than with a stated goal that no one buys.
Monday, October 2, 2017
Club Lessons
I have played for a lot of different club teams. All of them are tier 2 regionals mens teams from the Chicago area, and a lot of them have had overlap in terms of teammates or philosophy. None of them have been particularly close to qualifying for nationals, but every season has had a different flavor and brought with it different lessons. Here is a list of misc thoughts from each season:
Haymaker 2011 (practice player):
- This season taught me that sometimes club captains don't really know how to handle practice players and very likely won't email you back in a timely fashion (if at all), better to show up and talk in person.
- I learned that there were a ton of players out there who were better than me.
Haymaker 2012:
- I learned that people play club for a lot of reasons. This team was a group of tight-knit friends. This group was difficult for me to enter.
- I learned that most teams want to be great and set lofty goals, but only some teams want to work hard for those goals.
- I learned that a cultural expectation of being late to practice sets a very negative tone from day 1.
- I learned that I am noticeably slower and worse when I don't work out on my own (imagine that!).
- I learned that staying at people's houses on tourney weekends is way better than staying at dingy hotels.
Chicago Club 2013:
- I learned about the difference between a good team and a great team. Here's a basic explanation: Imagine 50 men's players who are all skilled, are athletic, and work hard. Take the best 25 of those players and put them on one team, then take the next 25 players and put them on a second team. Let's say the first team is great, the second team is good. A game between these two teams at the club level will be something like 15-8.
- I learned that egos and internal friction can tear a team apart.
- I learned the importance of consistent coaching and vision.
- I learned that if I wanted to play ultimate seriously as an adult, I needed to take much better care of my body and my injuries.
2014
This year I did not play. As I was recovering from my ACL injury, I traveled with nemesis and watched them play at a number of tournaments.
- I learned about self-discipline and taking care of my rehab.
- I learned that upsets happen all the time (i.e. nemesis taking down riot at PFF)
- I learned that there are a lot of different coaching styles out there.
- I slept on the floor of the 5ive warehouse, so I learned about that too.
BMU 2015:
- I learned that it's possible to have a club experience that is as fun if not more fun than college, depending on who's on your team.
- I learned that results being better than expected make early season problems seem distant and small.
- I learned that I could play an entire season and stay injury-free.
- I learned that tearing my ACL didn't end my playing career.
BMU 2016:
- I learned that manufacturing culture only works to a degree.
- I learned that success must be earned, never assumed, and that the wide world of ultimate is broader than I previously thought.
- I learned that relationships are key to trust, and relationships aren't automatic in the team setting.
- I learned that captaining can drain your soul if you let it.
SSL 2017:
- I learned that sometimes culture creates itself. Especially with guys from ND.
- I learned that pain and joy don't only exist at the top levels of the sport.
- I learned that total detachment from the outcome can be a blessing and a curse. In one sense, you are totally free, there is not pressure or responsibility. In another sense, you rob yourself of the ability to achieve. Shouldering the pressure of a lofty outcome goal takes courage. Without goals, there is no risk, and there can be no joy in achievement of those goals.
- I learned about the cultural power of self-subbing.
- I re-learned there is no replacement for strong, clear leadership.
Haymaker 2011 (practice player):
- This season taught me that sometimes club captains don't really know how to handle practice players and very likely won't email you back in a timely fashion (if at all), better to show up and talk in person.
- I learned that there were a ton of players out there who were better than me.
Haymaker 2012:
- I learned that people play club for a lot of reasons. This team was a group of tight-knit friends. This group was difficult for me to enter.
- I learned that most teams want to be great and set lofty goals, but only some teams want to work hard for those goals.
- I learned that a cultural expectation of being late to practice sets a very negative tone from day 1.
- I learned that I am noticeably slower and worse when I don't work out on my own (imagine that!).
- I learned that staying at people's houses on tourney weekends is way better than staying at dingy hotels.
Chicago Club 2013:
- I learned about the difference between a good team and a great team. Here's a basic explanation: Imagine 50 men's players who are all skilled, are athletic, and work hard. Take the best 25 of those players and put them on one team, then take the next 25 players and put them on a second team. Let's say the first team is great, the second team is good. A game between these two teams at the club level will be something like 15-8.
- I learned that egos and internal friction can tear a team apart.
- I learned the importance of consistent coaching and vision.
- I learned that if I wanted to play ultimate seriously as an adult, I needed to take much better care of my body and my injuries.
2014
This year I did not play. As I was recovering from my ACL injury, I traveled with nemesis and watched them play at a number of tournaments.
- I learned about self-discipline and taking care of my rehab.
- I learned that upsets happen all the time (i.e. nemesis taking down riot at PFF)
- I learned that there are a lot of different coaching styles out there.
- I slept on the floor of the 5ive warehouse, so I learned about that too.
BMU 2015:
- I learned that it's possible to have a club experience that is as fun if not more fun than college, depending on who's on your team.
- I learned that results being better than expected make early season problems seem distant and small.
- I learned that I could play an entire season and stay injury-free.
- I learned that tearing my ACL didn't end my playing career.
BMU 2016:
- I learned that manufacturing culture only works to a degree.
- I learned that success must be earned, never assumed, and that the wide world of ultimate is broader than I previously thought.
- I learned that relationships are key to trust, and relationships aren't automatic in the team setting.
- I learned that captaining can drain your soul if you let it.
SSL 2017:
- I learned that sometimes culture creates itself. Especially with guys from ND.
- I learned that pain and joy don't only exist at the top levels of the sport.
- I learned that total detachment from the outcome can be a blessing and a curse. In one sense, you are totally free, there is not pressure or responsibility. In another sense, you rob yourself of the ability to achieve. Shouldering the pressure of a lofty outcome goal takes courage. Without goals, there is no risk, and there can be no joy in achievement of those goals.
- I learned about the cultural power of self-subbing.
- I re-learned there is no replacement for strong, clear leadership.
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